Gearz 6 tips to increase fuel economy
 

Saw an episode of Gearz today offering 6 mechanical tips for better fuel economy for late model vehicles? I'm not a gearhead. What do you think would work best for a 2003 tundra, if any, and what percent increase could be expected.

1. increase intake air flow by replacing air filter. They didn't distinguish between warm air intake vs cold air intake. I've read about warm air intake is definately the way to go for fuel economy.

2. Computer programming. They suggest recalibrating vehicle's timing/shifting.

3. Spark Plugs. Replace spark plugs with mult-tipped plug that suppose to burn fuel more completely.

4. Exhaust. open exhaust to increase air flow with cat-back system and beter yet, high-flow cat and even headers.

5. Synthetic Oils. replace oils with synthetic

6. SVO. related to converting diesel to run on SVO.

thanks

my personal opinion of most of those modifications is that you will probably never see enough gas savings out of the results to offset the initial cost of the modification.

most less restrictive intakes or exhaust systems are pretty expensive. changing an air filter is relatively cheap but to replace it with a freer flowing intake usually runs ~$200 or more. exhaust is basically the same concept only more expensive.

the computer programming (unless you know someone) can get expensive fast. I was looking at reflashing my truck after a cam change and they wanted $500 for the computer reflash alone.

the SVO or WVO can have a huge initial cost as you have to change over your vehicle with tanks and also safeties to purge the lines before it shuts off. you also have to have space to store it and a filtration system along with a steady flow of french fry grease (or whatever). my brother in law spent right at $5k switching over his f250 and sold it about a year later. I have heard that the DIY ones are a lot cheaper.

I can't comment on the synthetic oils or spark plugs as some people have cliamed to see gains and others have not.

Air filters are relatively cheap, so it doesn't hurt to change them, but it would have to be really bad to effect the mileage of a hypermiler. As far as warm air/cold air goes, the general consensus is that warm air is better, but it doesn't work on all vehicles. A few members report success with cold air. I'd try warm first though.
This is very cost-prohibitive, and you will probably never recoup the initial investment to reprogram the vehicle's computer systems.
Electricity always takes the path of least resistance. After a few hundred miles the spark will start to favor one electrode over the other, and you'll end up with one spark anyway. Save your money. Don't buy into that gimmick. I did when I was young & stupid. Never got any power or economy gains from the plugs, but paying $5/ea for the plugs made the parts store happy.
If you're hypermiling this will make no discernible difference. Plus, messing with your exhaust may put you in violation of emissions laws.
I do believe in quality synthetic oils. You can get marginally better fuel economy with them over dinosaur juice, but the big payoff with synthetics is you can run them for extended intervals, and longer life of your engine.
No comment, I don't have a diesel so I'm not well versed on the pros & cons.

Those two guys covered what I would have said. I'll add this: The EPA has tested and found that even a severely clogged air filter will not increase fuel usage. There is a link in my meta-sig about it. However, if you are a hypermiler who tries to use an open throttle to reduce pumping losses (lay on the gas pedal and shift at low RPM), some of your effort will be negated by the low-flow air filter.

If you want to run fresh clean SVO, it will never pay for itself. If you want to run WVO and think you can do everything you'll need to, that would definitely be a great idea. I'd love to do it some day. I don't think it's practical for, well, anyone.

Larry,
There is a list of 201 tips at the top of the page , many of which focus on the more basic and straightforward aspects of fuel consumption like tyre pressures and weight.

Well worth a look.

Pete.

The best thing to do on that list (MPG wise) would be to switch to a synthetic oil.
Also, if you can drive the Hummer less that would be good too.

one thing I did that truly doubled my mileage but cost me $2000....

(doesn't this sound like a sales pitch)

park the truck and buy a beater.

I don't agree that switching to synthetic would cause a significant gain in fuel economy. It would certainly never pay for itself in gas saved. As Jay suggested, if your oil change interval increases, then it could pay for itself.

changing to synthetic will keep your cars engine from destroying itself in cold climates because it has a lower drop point. meaning synthetic is more eager to be fluid at colder temps than regular oil. in north carolina, i doubt this matters much, in new england and pennsylvania for example its alot more of an issue, plus now that you can buy synthetic at walmart for 4$ a quart you really can't go wrong

that is my reason for using synthetic mainly to keep my engine happy, mpg gains probably exist but ive heard theyre 1mpg which means 0mpg or .5 mpg or 2mpg
which is meaningless

Gentlemen, I thought this was GASsavers.com, not MONEYsavers.com. I truely appreciate each and every response (from people that i view as experts), but nothing is more discouraging than getting an opinion that essentially says it's not worth saving gas if it doesn't save you money. My goal is to reduce my fuel consumption and if that costs me some extra money that I can afford, then I might just decide to do it. Please gentlemen, please, give us a response as it relates to saving gas and then you can add comments about how cost effective a particular technique might, or might not be. Costs certainly have to part of the equation, but please don't dismiss a technique or technology simply because capital costs might not be recovered. Several 1-mpg saving tips might just add up to a significant savings.

I bought a beater VX nearly a year ago and parked my truck as much as possible, but i still have to drive the truck 50% of the miles. I've done the math; reduced my consumption by 30% and now I'm looking to reduce my consumption when I have to drive the truck.

Thanks.

I think most of us here are broke *** more than environmentalists. But using less fuel at any cost is a noble cause. I mostly agree with what has been said, but I'll go threw your list as well:

1. increase intake air flow by replacing air filter.

I think this is bogus. The air filter companies disagree, but this is how i see it;
A mostly clogged filter is a restriction on you intake, like your throttle. If you never open it up all the way you will never notice the difference. I do recommend changing it when it looks really dirty, but you can stretch it further by taking a vacuum cleaner to it.

2. Computer programming. They suggest recalibrating vehicle's timing/shifting.

This has potential, but is likely going to be a expensive change, and may take lots of tweaking to really get results (which may not be great depending on the factory settings)

3. Spark Plugs. Replace spark plugs with mult-tipped plug that suppose to burn fuel more completely.

worthless gimmick (see Jay's post)

4. Exhaust. open exhaust to increase air flow with cat-back system and beter yet, high-flow cat and even headers.

This is much like the air filter. Why do you need increased air flow in the exhaust? Are you redlining you engine all the time? I can make a better argument for restricting exhaust;
With a restricted exhaust you will have higher pressure in the exhaust, therefor more exhaust will remain in the cylinders, and will take less air/fuel to make a proper combustion as the space is already partly filled with a gas that will not react to the combustion. This said, i wouldn't recommend doing this as it might not work at all, and may make things worse in other ways.

5. Synthetic Oils. replace oils with synthetic

A fine thing to do, but i wouldn't expect any gains, i didn't get any, but i do it anyway.

6. SVO. related to converting diesel to run on SVO.

N/A as you don't have a diesel. but a fun fact: animal fat gets you further than veggie

Yes, but we're looking at what's practical. IMHO if a mod won't pay for itself, its probably not worth doing, especially if its expensive. The most effective change you can make as far as economy is concerned is to modify your driving habits, not modify the vehicle. While it is noble to use less fuel at any cost, my main motivation is economic.

Spending little money is often the "greener" choice, as a lot of the money you spend, even on a new exhaust, goes to fuel burned to make it. It was once ore you know...

x2. I'm here because I can't afford to waste money that could be saved, and one area of my life where I'm willing to put in the effort to save is with my driving. I tend to answer questions from that point of view, often forgetting that some people have different motivations.

In that case:
Air filter - No. Do the math, replacing the air filter when it's not making a significant dent in your FE is bad for the environment. Consider the entire life cycle of an air filter: Materials are mined, refined, made into raw materials for manufacturing filters, then they are manufactured, then packaged (and you can consider the life cycle of the package), shipped, used, and then they get thrown into a landfill because they can't be recycled.

Environmentally, you should clean your air filter, and eventually if it manages to reduce FE (and the EPA's tests show otherwise), then replace it. Once it needs to be replaced, perhaps an oiled cotton gauze filter could be more environmentally friendly, because it is reusable and because cotton is probably more eco-friendly than paper.

Computer programming - This would be the big one. Find someone who can do completely custom tuning and is willing to work with you to adjust the tune until it's right for you. You won't find a tuner who has a lot of experience with fuel economy (since 100% of the tuning market is for performance), but if you find one who has a good fundamental understanding of how engines work, is patient, and open-minded...it could work.

Have him make torque converter clutch locking and DFCO very aggressive, let you open the throttle more without downshifting and with lower shift points, eliminate open-loop fuel enrichment under WOT, and experiment with lean burn cruising. Those are a few suggestions I can think of off the top of my head.

Spark Plugs, exhaust, synthetic oil - Not going to help FE or the environment. Well, synthetic oil will help FE slightly but I suspect that the energy put into it far outweighs the environmental affects of increased FE.

If you're burning waste oil, both are probably free and both should work fine in the same system. I wouldn't mind seeing WVO systems that also burn waste motor oil. Actually, I suspect that you can just dump it in without a problem (obviously, you'd have to filter it as well as you filter the WVO).

In most of the cases mentioned in this thread, there is a direct correlation between money saved and gas saved.

Air filter -- a clean air filter does help. Probably won't increase mileage unless you never change it.

Computer programming -- might help...mind what it may do to emissions, however.

Spark plugs -- been there, done that. Didn't help. Actually seemed to drop my mileage slightly...See my gas log.

Exhaust -- I've always heard that would help. Not enough money to try it...I'm waiting for someone with more disposable income than myself to try it and let us know...

Synthetic oil -- Noticed no gain in gas mileage, but oil consumption was reduced in my Geo which had over 150k miles when I began using synthetic. At the price Wal-Mart charges, I think it's worth it.

From what I've seen, the best results come from conservative driving, minding tire pressure, and some really good gains come from aero-mods.

if fuel consumption is the number one concern.....

buy a bicycle

too far for a bicycle.....

buy a 150-250cc scooter.

if it truly is all about your carbon footprint or consumption, then go all out.

well said Beef

also buy a used bicycle and or scooter as it take energy to make them, and there are already a lot out there

I actually considered a 250cc scooter or bike myself but I like the extra metal around me in the event of a crash (or deer).

This is correct. If the whole mod does not or hardly pay for itself than you're consuming more fuel than without the mod.
A general (economical) rule: the higher the price, the more energy or raw materials needed to produce/sell it. So cheap is the best if it's about saving gas.
A Prius is more expensive than my Civic just because it requires more energy and raw materials to produce the vehicle (including the batteries).

I agree with the no gain from synthetic oil idea. From what I know about oil (which isn't a whole lot) the intermolecular shearing forces of conventional oil are actually less than the synthetic, and therefore actually reduce friction. Theoretically going with low viscosity conventional oil would be the best for friction reduction. Having said that however, I change my oil with OEM recommended weight synthetic every 3000 miles. It's not worth the risk of experimenting with oil in my opinion.

I don't agree on that, because in general the synthetic oils have a lower viscosity (0W30 e.g.) and this helps saving fuel and protects your engine better for two major reasons:
1) lubrication starts faster (better engine protection)
2) less pumping losses for the oilpump
Difference can be up to 2%, depending on driving conditions (colder climate/short distances, => bigger advantage with synthetic).
By the way: changing oil every 3000 miles... ?? My father did this with his first car back in the seventies, but technologie improved since.

I think we had a discussion about oil a while back. several of us couldn't remember ever knowing of a vehicle that had died because of oil change interval discrepencies (as long as it had oil in it)

I have a really strange oil changing ritual in my house. change oil every 3mos/3k mi and filter every 6mos/6k mi. I also used the pennzoil (dino juice). it is more of habbit than anything but it seems to work for me. I do use the mobile 1 (or similar) filter.

some people have played with using 0w-XX oil but I haven't seen too many people boasting of gains from that.

What I mean is this: if you're car requires 5w 30 for example, you can get either conventional or synthetic. Conventional oil has less intermolecular forces and therefore will result in less friction. Keep in mind that metal should never touch in your engine, so the friction comes from vistosity of the oil and ther intermolecular forces. You shouldn't go outside of what the OEM says to run, so if you want less friction conventional will have a marginal advantage. Let me stress MARGINAL.

When I change my oil at 3000 miles it's quite dark, so I'll keep changing it around there. I know lots of people go much longer, but my car is American made. I just can't justify going longer when I know it's already on its way to being burnt at 3000. I realize that dark oil doesn't automatically mean that it's used up, but I really can't risk damaging my engine when I depend so heavily on my vehicle every day.

On a side note, the oil you buy from the parts store that says it's synthetic actually isn't. Mobil 1 lost a lawsuit in regaurds to this. It's all very interesting, Google it.

Also of interest, there is a company called Luberzol that supplies oil to practically all the oil distribution companies. All the oil you buy comes from the same place essentially, just with different amounts of additives etc. Buying oil is like buying mixed drinks from different bars haha.

I remember oil changes when I was a kid working on our 1980 Bonneville with my dad. If I remember correctly the manual stated a 7,500 mile oil change, but he did 5,000 for simplicity. On my truck, the manual calls for a 7,500 mile interval. I use synthetic, and still adhere to dad's 5,000 mile schedule. I'm sure I could push it to 10,000 miles, but I'm happy with 5,000. By the time I'm a quart low I need to change it anyway. My oil never turns black, it looks like medium to dark honey coming out.

The manual for my car says 3000 miles if you do "hard driving" and it goes on to describe hard driving. Then it says 6000 miles for grandma type driving.

The viscosity measurement (like 0W30) is just that - a measurement. So, if one oil inherently is less viscous than another, it will be rated as lower viscosity.

The ratings are somewhat general but I don't think there's a pattern. A conventional or synthetic oil rated 5W30 may be randomly less or more viscous than any other, but all 5W30 oils should be heavier viscosity than all 0W20 oils.

Edit: If it wasn't that way, car manufacturers would have sued oil manufacturers and the API. They expect consistency from oil ratings and design their engines based on those ratings.

I consistently challenge people to post their experiences regarding oil change intervals, oil quality choices, and oil-related engine failures. If anyone reading this has had such a failure, please post about it!

The reality is that almost all cars go to the junkyard having never suffered a failure that can be blamed on oil choice or oil change interval. Few people ever manage to post data showing anythine else, even though we all know plenty of people who do not maintain as well as the oil companies' marketing departments say we should.

The lawsuit was about whether it can be called "Synthetic" if it is originally from dinosaur juice but was thoroughly processed, or if it must be manufactured in a lab from something (PAO base stock) other than dinosaur juice. The end result was that oil manufactured from dinosaur juice can be called synthetic if it has the quality and consistency of PAO-based oils.
https://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html

my dad once bragged about not chainging his oil for over a year (maybe it was almost a year). I was too young to really care. he sold that truck to my step-grandfather who still drives it with who knows how many miles on it. it was a B series mazda truck (basically a ranger).

dad got rid of it because it would stutter in 5th gear under high loads (pulling a boat). ironically enough, changing the plugs seemed to fix most of that. my uncle did that for my step-grandfather after he bought it. dad was ready for a new vehicle anyway.

I once knew a guy in the early 90's that had a Chevy K1500 that he bragged never had the oil changed, or vehicle washed since it was new. It looked like hell, but still ran decently. Last I saw him he had well over 150,000 miles on it.

If you really want 100% synthetic oil you need to buy pure synthetic racing oil. The problem with that is most racing oil has the molecule ZDDP (zinc...). The zinc is great for your engine, but not for emissions testing. It's banned from being in parts store oil. So even the really good parts store oil like Royal Purple isn't all that great. https://www.bradpennracing.com/ That is the oil I use in my race car. All the engine builders in my area recommend nothing but that oil. They do make lighter weight oil like 0w 30 that would work in most of our engines. It is a bit pricey though.

How would zinc in oil affect emissions enough to be an issue? You'd have to burn a lot for it to matter, I'd think.

Good question, but it's true. The government doesn't want it in the oil of street cars. I wonder if a car with that type of oil would pass emmisions in a tightly regulated state.

Zinc isn't the problem. It's the phosphorus in the ZDP that clogs up the cat.

Basicly, the zinc was removed to protect the emission equipment, but other additives have taken it's place. So, except for possibly breaking in a rebuilt engine, the ZDP isn't needed. In regards to emission testing, it itself won't show up, but you might be left wondering why you need a new cat before 150k miles.

from https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...Number=1049762